Improvement in earth-mattresses



THEGDORE WILLIAM IIEIINNEY,'0F NEWPORT, RHODE-ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 113,921,1dated April 18. 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN EARTH-MATTRES-SES..

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all' persons to whom these presents may come Be it known that I, THEODORE WILLIAM PHIN- NEY, of the city and county of Newport and State of 4Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful inannfacture or Mattress for the use of the Sick or Wounded; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, reference being had-*to the accompanying drawing making part thereof, and of Which- Y Y Figure 1 is a top view, and

Figure 2 a longitudinal section of such mattress or article.

The advantages of common earth or argillaceous earth as an absorbent are well known in the treatment of sickor wounded persons. Besides being an absorbent it has curative or other sanitary properties.

The article I have invented being composed in part of such earth, is intended to be laid on a spring .bed or common hair-mattress, or be'd `of any description, for its protection as well as for the cure or alleviation of a patient or sick or wounded person who may have occasion to use the bed or mattress. The article is specially valuable in and designed for use in hospitals.

Any exudations, especially blood or liquid matters, escaping from the patient will be absorbed by the earthy mattress or protector', and rendered innocuous and generally inodorous thereby.'

In carrying out my invention I forma case or covering of porous cloth, which, by stitching it crosswise in parallellines orothervvise, I divide into a series of compartments, each of which I fill with common earth, preferring that of an argillaceous character'.

In the drawinga denotes the covering;

b b b, the divisions or separate cavities; and

c o o, Ste., the masses of earth therein.

I claim as a new manufacturev The earth-mattress or bed-protector, made substan tially in manner and of materials and for the purpose as hereinbefore described.

Witnesses R. H. EDDY, J. R." SNOW.

THnoDoRn WILLIAM PHINNEY. i 

